|
|
|
Screenings - View the Trailer - Meet the Filmmakers
|
 |
 |
|
ABOUT THE FILM
Cathy Crowley worked two, full-time jobs and devoted all of her free time to her family before her teenage son Larry's death. She had never been involved in politics, or even voted. Overcome with grief by his suicide in 2004, she went to Wal-Mart to talk to the salesperson who sold him the gun. "We were just obeying the law," the manager told her. "If you don't like it, tell your congressman".
So, Cathy did just that. She sat at her kitchen table for 10 hours one July day and wrote to every single elected official in the Maine legislative directory. A state legislator agreed to sponsor a bill on her behalf that would require a 10-day waiting period before young people could buy guns.The legislation came at a time of growing concern about youth suicide in Maine, which has the highest rate in New England. Maine also has among the highest gun ownership per capita in the country, and most youth suicides are committed with guns.
|
 |
 |
Cathy devoted every free moment to passage of the bill and enlisted her family's help. At first, it seemed likely to sail through the Legislature. But the National Rifle Association mounted a behind-the-scenes campaign to defeat it.
"There Ought to Be A Law" shows Cathy's transformation from a shy, "average Mom" to a savvy activist who buttonholes lawmakers and negotiates with committee chairmen as she takes on one of the most powerful and feared lobbying groups in the country.
|
|
Two years in the making, "There Ought to Be A Law" gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how the Maine Legislature operates, and how average people can get involved in the process. The film will be distributed to schools and organizations encouraging civic activism.
The film was co-produced by Anita Clearfield and Geoffrey Leighton of Durham and Shoshana Hoose of Portland. The Center for Independent Documentary in Sharon, Mass. sponsored the project. Funders include the Point Harbor Fund of the Maine Community Foundation and the Eleanor Humes Haney Fund.
|
 |
MEET THE FILMMAKERS
Anita Clearfield produces and directs documentaries for "Maine Experience," a history series on Maine PBS. She previously produced and directed one-hour documentaries for "Quest," a National Science Foundation-funded science program, and the Maine PBS series, "School Zones." Clearfield's award-winning documentaries for national PBS broadcast include "Vacation Nicaragua", "Angela Davis: Walls Into Bridges," and "Olivia Records: More Than Music."
Shoshana Hoose has worked as a newspaper reporter, access television manager and communications coordinator for nonprofit organizations. Her independent films include two award-winning documentaries that were distributed nationally, "Anchor of the Soul" (about the Abyssinian Church and Green Memorial AME Zion Church on Munjoy Hill) and "What Matters: The Music and Teaching of Bob Blue."
Geoffrey Leighton owns a video production company, Leighton Images, which specializes in documentaries, commercials and long-form syndicated programming. His clients include Apple Computer, Fox Television, Hilton Hotels, Fairmont Hotels and On-Command Video.
Leighton was producer and director of photography for a recent feature project on the artist, Marsden Hartley. He teaches courses in documentary film-making at local colleges.
|
|
